The neighborhood of Brookwood mixes traditional and Arts & Crafts style homes within the City of Charlottesville.  Rather than a neighborhood of cookie-cutter homes, Brookwood offers buyers a variety of styles and options.  Prices ranged from $200-500,000, depending on the buyer's choices.

Christine Lisle, realtor with the White Coat Real Estate Team, notes what potential homebuyers will find. "The great thing about Brookwood is the very different styles of housing options available, from detached to townhouses, garages to no garages, brick to HardiPlank to vinyl siding, craftsman to traditional styles, small to large interiors, etc.," she says.  "The houses within the community were built by four builders so when you drive through the neighborhood you can witness the variety of style in housing the neighborhood offers."

Southern Development Homes developed and built the neighborhood, which is off 5th Street in Charlottesville, building 90 percent of the homes, notes Frank Ballif, founder of Southern Development Homes.

"With collaboration with the city and the surrounding neighborhoods, it has been a huge success," he says.

Lisle agrees.  "If you saw the piece of land before the neighborhood was built you would have said there would have been no way a city neighborhood could have been developed due to the topography of the land, but Southern Development did a terrific job developing the land to create a great urban neighborhood," she says.

The neighborhood of 76 units includes two pocket parks for residents, as well as walking paths that lead to the Rivanna Trail, offering people the "opportunity to not only walk to the urban areas within Charlottesville, but they can also experience the beauty and nature that the Rivanna Trail has to offer - so you get the best of both worlds," Lisle notes.

Lisle says it's the location of Brookwood that makes it a perfect fit for many physicians at the University of Virginia Hospital, as well as many other young professionals.  The hospital is about one mile from the neighborhood and Downtown Charlottesville even less.

"You can easily say the neighborhood is within walking distance of Downtown Charlottesville," she says. "I have sold a total of 11 properties in this neighborhood and 10 out of 11 were resident physicians at the U.Va. Hospital.  With the hours they devote to their training, they don't have time to spend commuting, working on their yards, or fixing up their properties."  The homeowners' fees include exterior yard maintenance.

And the property owners have been pleased with their purchases, says Ballif.  "They have a Facebook page and are a fun, active group."

Judi Antrobus, Southern Development Homes' salesperson at Brookwood, adds, "They even have their own softball team and do block parties in the summer."

Southern Development has one new home available - a two-car garage end unit with hardwood, appliances, nine-foot ceilings on both levels, as well as three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths.  There is also a model home available, open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For more information, visit www.southern-development.com.

Lisle was named Sales Associate of the Year for 2009 by the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors.  White Coat Real Estate is a team within the brokerage of RE/MAX in the Charlottesville area.   For more information, visit www.whitecoatrealestate.com.